Confession
by Laelia Sarai
Summary: Oneshot. For LJ drabble challenge. An argument between Ed and Winry quickly takes an unforseen turn.


"Oh, don't try that now, Edward, you didn't want to tell me anything before!"

Winry's shouts had been steady for the passed hour or so, and along with the occasional sound of something being thrown or falling off a desk, that was the only sound to be heard in the small house.

"Well, I'm telling you now, aren't I?"

Ed's voice wasn't as loud as Winry's, even though it was just as callus. Angry, Winry tore up another sheaf of paper sitting on her desk. As her careful calculations fell, shredded, to the floor, she rounded on Ed again.

"How can I be sure you're telling the truth? You've had more than enough time to make more lies and excuses."

Avoiding her question, and in turn a whole different argument, Ed answered her with a question of his own/

"Haven't you ever realized I don't tell you things to protect you!"

Winry rolled her eyes, fighting the urge to forget words and just scream. She'd heard it so many times, but she had no clue what she even needed to be protected I from /I , let alone whatever it was that'd put her in danger with the nameless beings that apparently endangered her daily.

"How many times are you going to tell me that, Ed! How many times are you going to avoid telling me why I have to fix your arm, I again /I , and say I can't know for my own protection? Do you have any idea, ANY idea, how worried I get when I hear your arm or leg needs to be repaired!"

Winry stopped there, seething still, letting her words sink into Ed's skull. But as time went on and no words came from Ed's now bowed head, Winry sank down into the stool at her desk and sighed; angry at him though she was, she hadn't meant to make him feel guilty. However sorry she was, though, Winry couldn't let her anger go that easily.

"So now you're not talking to me. Fine then, at least come over here so I can do the only thing I'm worthy of visiting for and fix your arm." Her voice was quieter and less harsh, but her words were still laced with malice.

"Do you really think that?"

Ed's head remained bowed as he spoke, and he sounded so hurt Winry almost couldn't be mad anymore. Almost.

"Well, yeah. You keep telling people I'm just your mechanic. The only time I ever see you is for repairs. What would you have me think, then, if you won't even come see me for just a day or call to let me know you're still alive?"

Ed shook his head, still not moving to make eye contact.

"I can't give up on Al. I have to give his body back."

Winry sighed, her anger dissipating; with the way Ed sounded, it would be too cruel for her to stay as angry as she was.

"I never asked you to give up. I asked you to call me, to maybe come see me every now and again for a day or so, to take some R & R. You're human, Ed, everyone needs a day of rest every decade or so."

Ed looked up at her now, appreciative of her light-hearted half joke. However, he still had the same sad look on his face that made Winry calm down in the first place. He sighed before asking her the same question he'd asked earlier.

"Do you really believe I think of you only as my mechanic?"

Winry blinked. It was her turned to bow her head now, thinking. Her earlier anger now bled to sadness as she spoke.

"Yes."

She heard Ed shift on the bed he sat on, but Winry didn't know he'd stood until she saw his feet in from of her. Looking up, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"If that were true, would I have declined the offers from Master mechanics in Central to fix my arm when something minor happened to it? Not to say you're not an amazing mechanic yourself, but wouldn't it be easier for me to get my arm or leg fixed elsewhere? If you were I just /I my mechanic, I wouldn't come back here for minor repairs, things that can be done anywhere regardless of skill."

Winry knew Ed wasn't insulting her work, and what he was saying made sense; for minor repairs like a loose or missing screw, it wasn't rare for the person with Automail to have it fixed right away by someone other than their normal mechanic. The mechanics actually encouraged it so more major problems didn't happen the longer the minor ones went unsolved.

Ed sighed at Winry's brooding silence before he spoke again.

"I come back here for you, Winry. I can't miss you all the time, I have to focus on getting Al back to normal. But there are times when I don't have to be so focused, and its those times when I miss talking to you and joking around like we used to." Taking a deep breath before continuing, Winry thought she saw a light blush spread over Ed's face. 'If you were just my mechanic, Winry, I wouldn't love you as much as I do."

Corny though it sounded and cliché though it felt, Winry couldn't help but let Ed's uncharacteristic confession wind its way though her head and into her heart. He was studying the floorboards intently when she looked at him fully.

"I've waited a long time to hear you say that."

Winry's half-whisper caught Ed's attention and made him look up.

"You mean you… you-"

"Love you too?" Winry finished his sentence for him, a small smile on her face now. "Why do you think I've been waiting for you the passed 4 years? It was because we were best friends at first, but yes, Ed. I do love you, too."

The two teens stayed silent for a few moments longer, neither one knowing what to do or say. Finally, sighing, Winry broke the silence and stood up.

"Come on then, loverboy, I do believe I have an arm to fix."

Ed, who had been wondering if, despite their confession, Winry was still angry, decided that was a good enough answer for him.


End file.
